The screen industries, film, TV, animation, and digital mediahave always evolved with technology. But right now, we’re in the middle of one of the most exciting and disruptive shifts in decades. From AI and virtual production to immersive storytelling and data-driven distribution, technology isn’t just changing how content is made, it’s changing what’s possible.

Remember when shooting on a sound stage meant green screens and imagination? Not anymore.  Thanks to virtual production, filmmakers can now shoot scenes in fully digital environments using LED walls and real-time 3D rendering. This technology allows directors to see and adjust visual effects as they shoot, saving time, cutting costs, and unlocking creative possibilities. Whether you’re a major studio or an independent filmmaker, tools like Unreal Engine are making this approach more accessible than ever.

Artificial Intelligence isn’t just hype; it’s already reshaping everything from editing to visual effects to screenwriting. Need to match colour across scenes? Done. Want to localize your film with AI-generated voice dubbing? Easy. Some creators are even using AI to generate concept art or build first-draft scripts. The key here isn’t replacement, it’s acceleration. AI is taking over the repetitive stuff, so creatives can focus on, well, being creative. This calls for you to think of AI not as a threat, but as a really smart assistant.

Today’s audiences want more than just passive viewing. They want to step inside the story. Thus enters VR, AR, and interactive media. Projects like The Line or AR-enhanced documentaries let viewers experience stories in a whole new way, emotionally, physically, and even socially. For content creators, this opens up a fresh creative canvas and new ways to connect with fans. Today, If you’re a storyteller looking to push boundaries, immersive media is where the frontier lies.

Streaming platforms have given creators access to something they’ve never had before: real-time audience feedback. From pilot testing to understanding which characters are most loved, data is becoming an essential tool in shaping stories and strategies. It’s also helping platforms and studios make better decisions about what to greenlight, and how to reach niche audiences more effectively.

With all these new tools comes a need for new skills. Schools and studios are adapting fast, training the next generation in virtual production, interactive media, and AI collaboration.Whether you’re just starting out or deep in your career, staying current with technology is no longer optional it’s part of being a creative professional.

At the end of the day, technology is just a tool. What matters most is still the story, the emotion, the connection and the craft. These tools are evolving fast, and the creatives and companies that lean in, experiment, and adapt are the ones shaping the future of screen content. So, if you’re wondering whether it’s worth exploring the latest tech, the answer is yes. Not because it’s trendy, but because it’s where storytelling is going.

Let us all adapt to the trends as the industry evolves or else you will be left on the wayside.

Funding the Film Industry: A Cornerstone for Economic Growth and a Catalyst for Cross-Sector Development

In the 21st-century creative economy, the film industry has emerged not merely as an avenue of entertainment but as a strategic pillar of economic transformation. Around the world, governments and private investors are realizing that film is both a cultural asset and a financial powerhouse. Yet, in many developing economies, particularly across Africa, investment in film remains marginal — often treated as a luxury rather than a necessity. In truth, funding the film industry is not just an act of cultural preservation; it is a fundamental economic strategy that can unlock growth, create jobs, foster innovation, and catalyze the advancement of multiple sectors.

Film as an Economic Engine
Film production is a high-value chain enterprise that activates numerous sectors simultaneously. Every shilling invested in film circulates through the economy from script to screen, generating demand for goods and services.
Film productions hire writers, directors, actors, and technical crews, but they also engage construction workers, set designers, tailors, make-up artists, transporters, caterers, equipment suppliers, and hospitality providers. In turn, this stimulates SME growth, increases tax revenue, and expands employment opportunities, particularly for youth and women.
Countries that have prioritized investment in film such as Nigeria (through Nollywood), South Africa, and Morocco — have witnessed measurable GDP contributions and expanded creative exports. According to UNESCO, the global creative economy, with film at its core, contributes over 6.1% of the global GDP and employs nearly 50 million people worldwide. This underscores the film industry’s power as a formal economic driver when adequately funded and supported.
Cultural Capital and Global Branding
Beyond its financial return, film is a powerful tool for nation branding and cultural diplomacy. It tells the nation’s story, projects soft power, and shapes global perceptions. Every successful film that emerges from a country amplifies its image, influences tourism patterns, and attracts foreign investment.
A vibrant film sector builds cultural confidence, enabling citizens to see themselves as agents of innovation and value creation. When backed by sustainable funding, local films can compete globally, showcasing authentic stories that resonate with audiences while simultaneously marketing national products, landscapes, and heritage.
A Catalyst for Other Industries
The multiplier effect of film extends far beyond the creative domain. When well-funded, the industry becomes a growth catalyst for multiple sectors:
Tourism: Films shot in local destinations create powerful visual marketing for the tourism sector. “Film tourism” has become a global phenomenon, where audiences travel to locations featured on screen.
Fashion and Design: Costume and wardrobe demands drive creativity and sales in fashion design, tailoring, and textiles.
Technology: Film’s growing reliance on visual effects (VFX), animation, and digital post-production stimulates innovation in tech, ICT, and software development.
Education: Film stimulates the growth of media schools, technical training institutions, and research in storytelling and technology.
Real Estate and Infrastructure: Studios, cinemas, and creative hubs attract real estate investment and urban regeneration, transforming neighborhoods into creative districts.
Every film produced therefore acts as an economic accelerator, drawing value chains from multiple disciplines and fostering cross-industry linkages.
Employment and Skills Development
The film industry is one of the most labor-intensive creative sectors. It offers diverse roles for people of varying skill levels from informal artisans to highly skilled technicians. By investing in film, governments and private financiers are essentially investing in human capital development.
Funded productions offer training grounds for young professionals, nurturing technical competencies in editing, cinematography, sound design, and production management. Over time, this leads to knowledge transfer, professionalization, and the growth of creative entrepreneurship. In economies with high youth unemployment, such an industry can absorb thousands into sustainable livelihoods.
The Economics of Distribution and Export
Film is a high-margin export product. Once created, a film can be distributed across multiple territories and platforms- cinemas, television, streaming, and educational outlets,yielding revenue for years. Unlike commodities, cultural content does not deplete; it accumulates value over time.
Strategic funding ensures that films meet global standards, enabling local creators to tap into the digital streaming economy (Netflix, Showmax, Amazon Prime, etc.), where African content is increasingly in demand. This generates foreign exchange, stimulates copyright protection systems, and supports a creative export strategy aligned with national economic plans.
Social Impact and National Cohesion
Film is a mirror of society. Beyond economic returns, it plays a vital role in social cohesion, education, and values formation.
Funded local stories can address pressing national issues from climate change and gender equality to governance and innovation in ways that resonate emotionally with citizens. This soft power impact supports national development agendas and strengthens shared identity.
Why Strategic Funding Matters
For the film industry to thrive as an engine of growth, systematic and sustained funding mechanisms must be established. These include:

1. Film funds and incentives that reduce production costs and attract co-productions;
2. Tax rebates and grants to stimulate investment;
3. Public-private partnerships (PPPs) to leverage both capital and expertise;
4. Credit facilities for creative entrepreneurs;
5. Investment in infrastructure such as sound stages, studios, and cinemas;
6. Capacity-building programs to equip creators with technical and business skills. Without such measures, even the most talented storytellers remain locked out of opportunity, and the economy forfeits billions in untapped potential.

Therefore let’s look at Film as a National Development Strategy
Funding the film industry is not an indulgence; it is an investment in inclusive economic growth, cultural identity, and industrial diversification. Every well-funded film becomes a platform for employment, innovation, and soft power.
In an era where nations compete on creativity and ideas, those who finance and nurture their film industries will not only tell their own stories but also define their economic futures. For Kenya and Africa, the question is no longer why fund film, but rather how fast can we scale investment to ensure the creative sector becomes a central pillar of our economic transformation.

Writer – Timothy Owase
Certified Film Commissioner
Chief Executive Officer
Kenya Film Commission

Sometimes, I look at the creative industry with very reflective eyes. Having been in it for many years. More than 15 years in showbizness, you see it for what it is.I can attest to have seen it grow, expand andright now, even about to overflow.

Watching actors, directors, producers, technical crew and writers receiving recognition at the Kalasha awards this year, many of them in their colorful gowns and great attires, with such passion for the
industry, gave the film commission a sense of pride.

That the artists who put in much labor to their craftcan finally have a taste of reward for the work they have put over the years. Without a doubt, their
commitment as performers and creatives, has moved the industry forward.

From a time, where the country could barely list 10 films, to a time more and more films can be attributed to the land.

This is not without the effort of the many artists who have devoted their service to the film industry in Kenya,without fail, in-spite the challenges that they have faced over years.

The team at the Kenya film commission are committed to have more and more films through workingtogether with more and more creatives and performers, not only to tell the Kenyan story, here in theregion, but even more to the world at large.

As Artists, we are the custodians of culture, thus we believe that art should not only be supported, but especially respected.

Through our art, the world will know
more about our world. Generations will rely on our trade, to tell their stories and even preserve history.
For which, we will be committed to ensure, we will not let you down, as a support for the film industry inKenya. My team spends sleepless night to ensure that.

Our greatest fulfilment has been to go to the Communities in the rural parts of Kenya, to the people in the communities, even the youth.

Going in to every County, has been the most exciting. Encouraging film
from the roots, where stories live, will ensure, every county has a chance to tell their stories and take pride in that art of telling stories through film.

The hope for the future is seemingly brighter, without a doubt, seeing from the many entries of films that come in every year. They get better and better each
year.

We already have been to 15 Counties and hope to reach all the other Counties as programmed in building capacity. We want to be taken as seriously, as we take ourselves. I personally, have spent good amount of time, knocking doors, to welcome as many players as possible.

I believe that this is an industry worth investing in. A lot more support from; corporates and the public service in to the film industry, will see the Kenya film industry with as much potential have the most returns. But above all, the greater responsibility as a Nation, to support and encourage our home grown talent and effort.
My quest, to the corporates, as well as the government, is to continue, even in a smaller scale, as well as large, to support this industry in as many ways as possible. For the Kenyan film industry is now on the
race as a world player, from walking and even crawling a few years back.

My team and I, are working to create that understanding, that what we have is a massive giant, massive talents as we have seen, overflowing with massive opportunities.
Happy to have such great interest from the ICT Cabinet Secretary, Joe Mucheru, who even graced our recent Kalasha awards as the guest speaker.

Friends, this goes to show, that in-spite of the fact that we are not there yet, we have made progress as the Kenyan film industry.

The Cabinet secretary has shown massive
interest in supporting the industry, as well as many players in Kenya. Being part of the ministry of ICT, is a blessing in more ways than one, for now we are no longer competing with sports, we have our own
space.And to the artists, we should always remember.

In Kenya, “we are long distance runners,” our race is long, but certainly we will get there. What we have for the future is even greater, that what we could
ever possibly imagine for this industry, but this great future can only be forged together.

The writer is a Chartered Marketer and a Communication Professional who serves in the creative industries.

The Creative Industries were defined in the Government’s 2001 Creative Industries Mapping Document 2 as “those industries which have their origin in individual creativity, skill and talent and which have a potential for wealth and job creation through the generation and exploitation of intellectual property”.

Cultural and Creative Sectors are increasingly getting recognized as one of the most dynamic and innovative sectors in Africa, contributing to peoples’ quality of life, attractiveness and economic growth. The rise of the creative economy is reflective of the larger shift occurring within the global economy – the shift from economies based on the production of goods to economies based on the provision of services. This change is expected to be as big and as challenging as the transformation in the 1700s from agrarian to industrial societies (MPI, 2009).
In the post global development agenda, the United Nation and its leaders are working to ensure the importance of the creative economy is reflected as a driver and an enabler of sustainable human development in the future development goals. Countries around the world are transitioning into functioning within a knowledge economy where information and knowledge are important drivers of economic growth.

As we navigate this move to a post-industrial knowledge economy from an economy purely based on the production of goods to an economy significantly fueled by ideas and innovation, the role of creativity in shaping that growth can no longer be ignored.

The creative economy in general is increasingly getting recognized for economic and their non- monetized social benefits. The sector empowers people with capacities to take ownership of their own development processes. As a people centered and place based approach by governments is integrated into development. As economies take calculated interventions to the creative economy, a structured approach is put into account for trans-formative and sustainable change across the sector.

During the debate on culture and development held in New York in June 2013, the United Nations Secretary – General Ban Ki Moon, recognized in his opening remarks that too many well intended development programmes had failed because they did not take cultural settings into account and thus development failing to focus on people.

To jam start the sector, we must mobilize people by first getting to understand and embrace their culture. In essence, for acceptability, stakeholders must encourage dialogue at all levels by listening to all partners and issues at stake. This will inform the new course for sustainable development. There are varying trends in understanding of the relationship between the creative economy and economic development, but what stands out is that, the society today is shaped and conditioned for development by the arts and culture within the creative economy.

As the creative economy sector become an increasing driving force at the market place, it is essential to measure its impact to the economy and the community at large. In the environment full of continuous change, and globalization, many agree that creativity and innovation are the new driving forces to the world economy. With an acknowledgement of the same by the United Nations, it’s now for the Nations, organisations and individuals to embrace the sector as a significant contributor of revenue as well pose a bright and stable future through enhanced development activities.

To capture attention and build value, PWC outlook shows that, companies need to understand how local and global markets are impacted by the changing pace of the entertainment and media industry. According to Outlook, Kenya’s total entertainment and media industry was worth US$2.2 billion in 2015, a 9.1% rise on the year before. An 8.3% CAGR will lead to nearly 50% growth in absolute terms, with total E&M revenue rising to be worth US$3.3 billion by 2020.

From the above, it is evident that reliable data in the sector is important for the understanding of both economic and social dimensions of the creative economy. Statistics therefore is needed if any country want to develop and implement evidence based industry policies as well as the need to monitor and evaluate overall performance and effectiveness within prescribed time-frame.

The emerging importance of this sector globally is increasingly gaining currency to policymakers and economists. This is so as to establish the value of these industries in their respective economies, need to understand the trends in consumption, trade, impact and other benefits that emanate from the sector. This calls for a purposeful management and planning of key infrastructural facilities that would enable a structural approach to the creative economy business.

The writer is a Chartered Marketer and a film industry professional and can be reached at timothy.owase@live.com 

Countries, Institutions, Families and individuals, set core values as the cornerstone for their day to day operations. The values determine how we live and interact; service delivery, coexistence, culture and the general sphere of life. In this respect, film as a business carries and has the capacity to influence our values a great deal. It is with the given background that I wish to look at the film classification and rating systems as used universally. Film classification decisions in various countries, reflect and are based on certain norms, values, virtues and standards or levels of tolerance of each country. In Kenya, the constitution is supreme and provides clearly the set of values the citizens must uphold. Although counties may share many common cultural values, there are also values and virtues that are unique to a particular country. Therefore, classification decisions in any given country reflect the norms, values, virtues and standards set for the country within which a particular classification or rating authority operates.

Based on the set background, film regulating bodies strongly believes that the film classification systems and the voluntary rating procedures represent the best approach and structure in meeting the set of values in film products. There are usually 4 categories that have been accepted globally to secure freedom of expression, to respect human rights and to protect children from early exposure to potentially harmful film material and expressions. The categories include the following;-

G:        General viewing, suitable for all ages

PG 13: Parental guidance requested for young people less than 13 years

R 16+: Viewing for persons aged 16 and above only (No one under 15 admitted)

R 18+: Viewing for persons aged 18 and above only (No one under 18 admitted)

Films are classified according to the treatment and impact of the eight main classifiable elements of public concern, specifically theme, language, sex, nudity, violence & cruelty, horror & menace, drug use, and acts of criminal behavior. Film classification also depends on the context in which the film content is presented. It is illegal to show indecent images of minors under the age of 18, and to show a work that is obscene. Real explicit sex and detailed exposure of sexual organs are not allowed, nor is pornography. Not only is this a concern for regulatory bodies, but a concern for all caring citizens who desire a society grounded on core moral values.

Looking at the general principles informing both age-categories and guidelines are almost universally acceptable. The main principles include; and will sample just a few. The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC), for instance, operates on the principles that: (i) Adults should be free to choose what they see, providing that it remains within the law and is not potentially harmful to society (ii) works should be allowed to reach the widest audience that is appropriate for their theme and treatment (iii) the context in which something (like sex or violence) is presented is central to the question of its acceptability, and (iv) the Guidelines will be reviewed periodically in the light of changes in public taste, attitudes and concerns.

In  Australia, the regulator is required to ensure that its classification decisions give effect to the; principles that: (i) adults should be able to read, hear and see what they want (ii) minors should be protected from material likely to harm or disturb them (iii) everyone should be protected from exposure to unsolicited material that they find offensive, and (iv) the need to take account of community concerns about depictions that condone or incite violence, particularly sexual violence and the portrayal of persons in a demeaning manner

The Film and Publication Board (FPB)  of South Africa, operates and established the following principles in implementing the objectives of the Act: (i) while adults should enjoy freedom of choice, children must be protected from exposure to potentially disturbing and harmful materials (ii) the policy of imposing age-restrictions to protect children in the relevant age groups from premature exposure to adult experiences or materials which may be inappropriate in the context of South African society (iii) the need to alert members of the public, through consumer advice, to material which they may find offensive, both for themselves and for children in their care, and (iv) the requirement that guidelines be published annually and revised on the basis of public representations so that guidelines reflect, as far as possible, contemporary South African standards and values.

The significance of film classification systems

The Constitution guarantees everyone the right to freedom of expression, which includes freedom to receive and impart information or ideas and freedom of artistic creativity. The system of classification provided for in the Films and Stage plays Act allows for limitations but not absolute prohibitions on the right to freedom of expression. For example child pornography is a criminal offense and not classification. The Act provides a clear balance between the constitutional rights of adults to choose what content they want to watch, view and the duty to protect people, particularly children and women, from exposure to harm-resulting forms of violence, sexually explicit films.

The purpose and significance of classification is, therefore-

(i) by means of classification, to prohibit distribution and exhibition to children of films and publications with content intended only for adults, as well as to protect members of the public from unsolicited exposure to content which some may find offensive by means of the imposition of age-restrictions, to prohibit distribution and exhibition of films and publications with disturbing, harmful or age-inappropriate content to children in the age-group likely to be at risk of harm from such content, and (iii) by means of consumer information, to provide the public with such information as will enable them to make appropriate viewing and reading choices, both for themselves and for children in their care.

How do we balance film industry development and regulation

The development of the film industry is critical to the growth of our economy and thus requires nurturing. In retrospect, we must also recognise that just like any other business, we must go about the film business with clear lines of operation. That is; core values should drive our stories, encourage self-regulation through adherence to the classification code, ethics and overall respect to our constitution. With this, we will have an understanding as a people with more stories told, more jobs created, more revenue to government and an enlightened society.

The writer is a Chartered Marketer and Communications professional and can be reached at timothy.owase@live.com

Copyright-based industries form part of creative industries, which are economic activities based on the creation, management, use and trade in original creations expressed in tangible form. Creative industries are referred to as copyright-based industries and products there-from as copyright-based goods when they are protected under intellectual property rights. There is a growing interest in the copyright-based industry today due to the recognition that creativity is the very basis for social, economic and cultural development of nations.

Based on the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Guide (2003), studies have been conducted to quantify the contribution of copyright based industries in several European, American and Asian countries. As an emergent subject of interest to individual inventors, creators, firms, their agents, governments, economists, financiers (OECD, World Bank, UNIDO), investors and intergovernmental organizations (such as WIPO and its constituents). Intellectual property management is a highly sophisticated topic and requires an understanding of IP law, technology, economics and finance.

The common interest among these seemingly disparate levels of society is the practice of innovation and the corresponding promise of wealth creation. Reflecting on this point, all other activities of management beyond new combinations seem like housekeeping or the pursuit of an efficiency frontier that has diminishing returns (for example mergers, acquisitions and other efficiencies sought during market maturity). Legal professionals are classically trained using the lenses of doctrine and the corresponding tools of contract, policy legislation and case law. In acting as intellectual property professionals, intellectual property practitioners are the agents of their clients (managers) and know how to procure rights from the various granting entities and enforce them, when necessary, in a court of law or other legal dispute resolution forums.

Creative entrepreneurs, executives and managers, typically have a responsibility of a different kind something akin to fiduciary responsibility. Fiduciaries are charged with the responsible management of firm assets for the benefit of all stakeholders (shareholders, employees, etc.). To “manage” is to actively reconcile opportunity with market context and allocate resources to realize a profitable business. This requires knowledge of management disciplines such as economics, marketing, operations, finance, accounting, technology, organizational form, distribution and all possible combinations thereof.

Intellectual property now makes up a large proportion of a companies’ market value, and IP management can no longer be left to technology or legal departments alone. Managers need visibility and control over the things they “manage”. This means that the firms are further formulating strategies that focus on lead time, before products are developed, to strengthen competitively the existing and relatively ”strong” industries while at the same time building up dynamically as a function of available resources and competitor analysis around their strengths.

This growing focus on knowledge and innovation has placed IP rights under the spotlight and highlights the need to learn the best practices for IP management. Internationally, as access to data on IP has improved, examples and cases of IPM at national and international levels are also emerging.

The world of business has changed at a high rate. In the recent past, the development of information technology and the arrival of the Internet have created the “Global Village” we all live in today. Applications of new technologies spread quickly around the world and as a result, more people have become familiar with these new technologies through the products they use in their everyday lives. We are in the age of knowledge thus managing technology and its ability to differentiate market offerings is the key to economic success.

It is true that, companies in industrialized countries have decided not to manufacture the products they develop and sell. This is because it is difficult for them to maintain or gain a competitive edge in manufacturing given the low cost, and skilled labor available in, for instance, developing countries. This growing importance is occasioned by fundamental shifts in how value is created and measured in global equity markets. While access to raw materials, energy sources and robust markets remain important components of competitive advantage, globalization and commoditization of production inputs coupled with their price changes has shifted long term competitive advantage.

As governments in developing countries adopt IP management practices, it is envisioned that the creative economies are poised to greater development. As the key players in the sector, let us all embrace the art and grow the sector to its full potential.

Timothy Owase is a Chartered Marketer and practicing Communication professional in the film industry. Can be reached at timothy.owase@live.com

I have found the vast majority of filmmakers are passionate to tell their story – this is primal. And now more than ever, that stage on which to tell your story/show your film has never been more crowded. Most filmmakers have a vision and passion to make their film, and many have been highly trained in great film schools to make that film, but what most aren’t trained for is the commercial line of film-making.

In this article, I explore in brief aspects of film marketing. A film’s life cycle is typically the actual making of the film from pre-production, production and post production.  This can take years to fully develop the product, finance it, market and distribute.

Today, a filmmaker must consider combining creativity and business essentials for the art to make any sense. As film maker’s we all want our final products to be recognized. Then how do we ensure the success we are yearning for?  As a creative, it is essential to be an all-round professional with skills and knowledge of creative, legal, financing, production, marketing and distribution, and be able to practically apply them.

On a set, a filmmaker is faced with various caliber of people, thus  must be able to multi-task, handle all types of personalities, pitch, coach, stand their ground, corral, cajole, and yes, sometimes scream and demand to get results. As we endeavour to perfect the art, let us attempt to give the independent filmmaker an overview of all the areas he/she must take into account and take responsibility for in order to succeed. The key areas include; development, packaging, financing, production, marketing and distribution.

Film Development is one of the least understood and least prepared for phases of a film’s cycle in Kenya. It is the foundation on which your film will stand or fail for the rest of its phases. Understanding this, filmmakers ought to ensure that each aspect of their film’s development is just as perfectly planned, budgeted and sufficiently funded as its production. As an all rounded Producer, you must be fully funded and prepared to get the film from option of material to fully funded and ready to start pre-production.

At this stage, consider paying for writing, legal work for contracts generated, business plan, memorandums, budget and schedule, location scouting, visual pitch and promotional materials, marketing among others.

The Pitch – Pitching is an important step in getting a film financed, produced and distributed. Consider addressing 3 pitch audiences and be prepared to respond to each of their different expectations and needs; the finance, distributors or and International Sales Agents and the consumer of your product.

Film Finance – Financing a film can be the trickiest part of making the film. Hence until the day you are totally funded, you need to pay constant attention to detail on your potential sources and approach.

Film Production – at this stage, the film is now fully developed financed and you are now finally able to begin production. Production here refers to: Preproduction; preparatory measures that include opening of a production office; hire all crew; engage a locations scouts, secure the locations, rentals for camera and lighting packages; prepare shooting schedules among others.

Principal Photography: This refers to the period when the principal photography will be shot. After this time, all of the scenes for the movie are completed. Postproduction: the period, the director and editor will select the best shots of the various scenes and edit those that take into an assembly of the entire film.  After these, various departments consider inclusions that are not limited to music, visual effects, sound design, color corrections and the final Sound Mix.

Film Marketing – the film has been made and now you want to get it to the market. So what are the best ways to market your film? This challenge can be an uphill task to the filmmaker. It requires a lot of hard work and time, provided the filmmaker is willing to take some responsibility for developing and implementing a well-thought out marketing plan.

The plan may include among others various marketing tools, that may comprise; social media, niche-targeted advertising to reach their audience. It is important to begin this process as soon as you start development of the film. I suggest that you must have a line item in your development and production budgets for Marketing, which should include, but not be limited to, social media, website, film festivals, and blogs, among others. To maximize your marketing effectiveness, all marketing pieces must work together.

Filmmakers should connect with viewers online and at screenings, establish direct relationships with them and build core personal audiences. Ask for their support, making it clear that DVD purchases from the website will help you break even and make more movies. Every filmmaker with a website has the chance to turn visitors into subscribers, subscribers into purchasers, and purchasers into true fans who can contribute to new productions.

Film Distribution – Distribution is simply the method by which distributors or the aggregators get your film into the marketplace via theatres, VOD, DVD or television. Theatrical distribution arguably is the single most beneficial release window, as it can establish a film’s brand extending to all other ancillary markets.

However, you need time, money and effort to create that brand. During production, the director and producer are kings and in almost total control over hundreds of people and millions of dollars. Once the film is delivered, the distributor is in near total control.

In the advent of the digital platforms, media revolution is having a massive impact on the delivery and options for distribution, as well as, the marketing and brand creation of the project. This is a window for empowering filmmakers to explore alternative distribution options.

Film is serious business, let’s get serious!

The writer is a Chartered Marketer and film industry professional and can be reached at timothy.owase@live.com

Today at the market place there are millions of brands competing for the share of the market. Thus, why is branding so key to an organisation? Let us start off with an understanding of what is a brand.  Simply put, a brand is a promise. At a personal level, a brand is what people say about you when you’re not in the room. So how can you ensure your corporate communications create the kind of a brand image that would make you proud to be a fly on the wall in your market?

It’s rare to find a company with a genuinely unique selling point, that is why to form a strong brand image and message, organizations or individuals need to think hard about anything that differentiates them. Often companies say their people make them different, but unless they have a truly unusual working culture, that’s unlikely. Better managed organisations always brand their organisation from the inside. Leaders begin by trying to discover what the organisation is good at, what it is proud of, and known for, and then build the brand promise around these existing strengths.

The existence of the strengths is derived from what the company stand for, typically focusing on the brand from the inside and outside. When your internal team doesn’t respond with appropriate enthusiasm for the brand promise, they work with heads of operations to flog the business into behaving the way they think it should. This breeds calamity to the organisation. Imagine leading an institution where an understanding of a brand promise is lacking, the workforce don’t behave, the brand doesn’t deliver while operating at the midst of many competing brand interests.

It should be noted, that brands are built around ‘the relentless pursuit of perfection’. As one would expect of a Safaricom company, there’s a strong emphasis on quality of services delivered, but this is taken to a whole new level through innovation, good governance practices, all round marketing concept and the corporate social responsibility among other virtues. It’s not simply about quality of fit and finish, but about seeking out and delivering on the little details that create as close to a perfect delivery experience as possible. For employees, this means the emphasis is on behaviours aligned to what the company’s good at delivering to its vision. All the above strategically packaged and presented to the company’s stakeholders enables brand positioning.

Brand positioning sets the direction of marketing activities and programs, what the brand should and should not do with its marketing. Brand positioning involves establishing key brand associations in the minds of customers and other important constituents to differentiate the brand and establish competitive superiority (Keller et al. 2002). Besides the obvious issue of selecting tangible product attribute levels (e.g., ‘M-PESA, Mshwari etc.), two particularly relevant areas to positioning are the role of brand intangibles and the role of corporate images and reputation of your organisation.

As you endeavor to fulfill your branding strategy, it’s essential to have your staff on board, ensure the brand has its own story. This approach is effective because storytelling is a fundamental part of human nature and it allows players to position their brands in human terms, rather than sterile marketing.

How do you ensure consistency and longevity? There is power in brand measurement, accountability and understanding. To manage brand equity (or anything) requires current, valid data. This includes diagnostic data about why the brand is where it is. Few brand owners do this well. Endeavour to understand systematically how your brand is perceived. Also consider accountability issue in relation to marketing metrics such as market share, customer loyalty, relative price and relative perceived quality. Leaders and Managers should make it their daily tea to seeing these metrics regularly and report the main ones to shareholders for strategic decision making.

Organisations contribute to the destruction of their brands through communication. A variety of brand messages just leads to confusion in the consumer’s mind.  As a leader in marketing, adapt to play to the media’s strengths and use the channels to the advancement of your brand’s ideals such as building your brand, the quality of goods or services and innovation while maintaining your organizational core values.

If you’ve already gained understanding and engagement from your people as part of the brand formulation process, this will stand you in good stead. Marketing teams can and should drive consistency of brand design, language and brand presentation across all media channels and forms of communication. Be able to drive and support the same messages internally as you do externally and in return this could double the power and performance of your communications campaigns at any given time.

Consider brand management as a solution when it comes to getting corporate communications right while embracing the complex and messy media environment for what it potent to your brand filled with unpredictable highs and lows.

Brand: Product and communications planning must work together as part of a cohesive whole. They’re often the responsibility of separate teams that don’t talk to each other enough. A unifying strategy and joined-up planning are critical.     
 Research: Communications activity can so often look great but miss the target with the wrong tone, language, imagery or media. The cornerstone of relevant, effective communications is insight, derived from rigorous research. Yet often this is the first part of the budget to be cut – in my view, a massive mistake. After all, without insight where’s the competitive edge coming from?

Control: Maintaining brand discipline across markets, languages and outlets is tough. An efficient online resource or library is a pre-requisite, centrally controlled, interactive and really easy to use. And, as a general principle, keep brand rules and regulations stripped out and simple.

Flexibility: With a seemingly unending variety of media available, understanding the relevance of each channel to different consumers on different occasions is vital. It is also critical to plan content and creative to work powerfully in each channel.

Engagement: In an age of social media, dialogue and engagement, we often seem stuck in a one-way street. It’s time to shift into listening mode and embrace interaction and transparency as more than just an afterthought handled by the web team.

As I conclude, it should be noted that, there are many technical and commercial reasons why companies are valuing their brands. Unlike the days when brand managers were messengers in briefing PR firms. Today they are more likely to be rubbing shoulders with key decision makers in finance for the corporate business. Brand managers have to be aware of how, when and why to value brands. Branding is big business and managing it determines your future survival and profitability at the market play.

The writer is a Chartered Marketer and Communications professional and can be reached at timothy.owase@live.com

It is widely recognized that location images greatly influences tourist destination choices. The images of a location play a significant role in influencing tourist’s decision-making process as the basis for where to visit (Gartner 1989; Echtner & Ritchie 1991). This is based on the favor-ability of a location of choice.

Butler (1990) suggests that films can influence the travel preferences of those who are exposed to the destination attributes and create a favorable travel destination. Film provides knowledge of certain aspects of the destination such as nature, culture and people which result in the construction of the key attitudes towards the country.

Film, is used as an influence to viewer’s choices to travel by the physical attributes and their associated themes, story-lines, events and actors, influencing the audience’ feelings, emotion and attitudes towards the location. Locations and film experiences are enhanced in memories by associating them with the actors, events and the setting through the films journey.

The world of associations and sentiments are all enclosed in the viewers’ minds as memories and obsessions which give meaning to these locations. They then become iconic attractions as a result of being given powerful meanings in film narrations in the mind of the viewer. This memories and the picture created from the film and the meaning to it from the viewer, acts as a stimuli for one to want to visit particular places.

Today, the world’s tourism industry has reached a maturity stage. This is to mean most tourists are more experienced and have become more selective in their choices of holiday destinations.  The industry is also very competitive with many competing interests for visitors as well as sustained destination marketing campaigns from all corners. This is unlike those days when countries spent dollars on attracting tourists through promotion. Tourists today want to reap maximum value of benefits for less as there are many tourism products in the market.

In my view, films are likely to be more successful as a tool for promoting tourism than any other model or strategy. This is a new form of cultural tourism which still receives little attention from most authorities and practitioners due to the lack of knowledge and understanding on the benefits of film on tourism. Researchers suggest that films can have strong influence on tourist decision-making and not only provide short-term tourism revenue, but also long-term prosperity a location.

For a country like Kenya, it is easy for film makers to design storylines and sites that are closely related in which the film involves the audience and an emotional experience which links perfectly with the location’s attributes. Exposure of tourism induced films would provide greater familiarity, attachment, identification and influence to the country’s target market. As a consequence, these films acting as marketing tool becomes the push factor for the audience to visit the location, people, experience and stories as portrayed by the film. The success of such a film would in return be a good predictor of film-induced tourist arrivals.

There has been an increase in number of tourists visiting various destinations featured through films and television series that are not directly related to tourism promotion campaigns. The increasing popularity of film-induced tourism owes to the rise of international travel and the growth of entertainment industry (Hudson & Ritchie, 2006b).

Countries that embrace this mode of destination marketing are likely to reap the most in the long term. Most of those who take up this opportunities, package it as part of their main holiday, thus more bookings without any previous visit or knowledge. It has long been recognized that travel stimuli through marketing efforts and previous travel experience have played an important role in influencing destination choices. Non-touristic-directed stimuli such as films can also have strong influences on tourist decision-making (Iwashita, 2003).

This calls for players in the sector to embrace the film stimuli and include it in their tourist attraction models. The power of film in portraying a positive impression of a country’s image to induce tourist arrivals is clearly shown in various researches (e.g. Tooke & Baker 1996; Iwashita 2006; Kim et al., 2008). Having reviewed the literature, it was found that film-induced tourism is relatively new in tourism research.

Film tourism is likely to draw more benefits to a country and thus creating major economic benefits to the local community. Film locations can be all-year, all-weather attractions which alleviates problems of seasonality in the tourism industry (Beeton, 2004). Riley et al. (1998) studied 12 films and found that the peak of the interest appear after the release of the film, approximately 50% increase in visitation at least five years later and the image is often retained for a long time.

It significantly increases the cultural value for the film location of which a range of cultural meanings and values are communicated. Many heritage sites that serve as film locations gain popularity after the film release because these places acquire specific meaning through film narration. It enhances the locations image and increases the awareness of the host country.

Television series are even more powerful since they continuously reinforce the appeal of the destination that builds top-of the mind awareness. Today, there are many strategies used by various marketers, film is one of the strategies that should be integrated. Tourism boards need to begin forging relationships and provide incentives for film commissions and production companies for promotional purposes.

In the developed economies such as New Zealand, film promotion schemes have been introduced with an aim to facilitate international film-makers and broadcasters in the shooting, production and post-production of quality movies and television programmes. Each film-maker or broadcaster may be granted financial support based on the extent to how the film or programme can uniquely showcase its locations and the economic benefits thereto.

Promotion of hotels, guesthouses and other historic places featured in the films can be a powerful magnet to generate tourism. These places can be differentiated from others through films. This promotion strategy has been used in New Zealand where Tourism New Zealand developed part of its website to specifically promote ‘The Lord of the Rings’ and other film locations throughout the country.

Other marketing strategies which have been used include; guided film tours and film walks. These tours rely heavily on the illustrations from the films so that the tourists can recognize the real landscapes used in the film. The success of film locations rely on the success of films. Some film locations are much more successful than others in terms of the number of tourist arrivals.

I call upon tourism marketers in Africa not to separate their promotional strategies from wider film marketing, as the benefits have far reaching positive effects to the community. Films provide many positive impacts for the location in terms of economic, cultural values and awareness and image. I wish to conclude by the following “film induces tourism and not the other way round”.

The writer is a Chartered Marketer ,Communications professional and a film industry practitioner. Can be reached at timothy.owase@live.com

Telecommunications companies operate in highly competitive markets with the potential of IP networks to deliver converged services with the advantage of interactivity. IPTV services have been introduced by various telecommunication firms for differentiation. The technology has enabled service providers to offer Video on Demand with capability of providing a full pay TV service offering.

What is this IPTV?  In context it means, distribution of television content over a controlled IP network, where the end consumer receives the information through a set-top box which is connected to its normal broadband connection. It should be noted that IPTV (Internet Protocol Television) does not mean that information is sent over the internet, only that IP protocol is used.

In some markets, IPTV is largely a defensive mechanism by telecom and GSM service providers in encouraging subscriber’s retention rather than migrate to alternative offers in the same space. In Kenya, Telecoms and cable operators have come to understand the value of new services that could be delivered to consumers over IP networks. Most of these companies have invested in network infrastructure as well as home gateways to provide the managed platforms that are essential for delivering real time services such as video with adequate quality of service.

In adapting these technologies, Operators generate extra revenue through value addition packages incorporating the new services, while enhancing customer relationships through proactively managing the needs of the ever demanding subscribers. Pay TV operators have responded in a similar measure by developing multi-screen services themselves and where possible exploiting their superior premium content offerings to defend their revenues in OTT platform.

In order to maintain their edge and to continue defending their interests, operators need to provide compelling advantages to broadcasters and content owners through their ability to deliver video assets cost effectively to as many users as possible.

What are the key IPTV features? The biggest difference in today’s distribution of television content is that you have the power to choose which information you want. Unlike before, everything is not broadcast-ed as with terrestrial, cable and satellite. The IPTV services presents big difference in that, you are able to have a high capacity two way communication and have the ability to interact with the service provider as compared to the other models.

IPTV services providers also boasts of other things that could be provided with its interactive applications (e.g. blogging) or transaction applications (e.g. Television shopping). Because of the point-to-point connection IPTV offers, every user is able to view their own individual broadcasts. The service offers capabilities for VoD (Video on Demand) which provides individual choices, EPG (Electronic Program Guide) and PVR (Personal Video Recorder), where the EPG is fully interactive, use of features like pause, fast forward and rewind when you are watching a movie on your TV among others.

What does this potent to content producers? The entry of new devices and new video delivery technologies has created an opportunity for content providers to go direct to consumers. Service platforms have evolved from proprietary complex systems dealing with Conditional Access (CAS), Subscriber database, Content database and Portal management to simpler modules inspired by Web technologies.

This change explains that what was referred to as a Service Platform is now called a CMS. In all there are still significant issues to be considered by content providers if they are to fully reap the rewards of this brave new world. There are issues to do with live events; peaks in demand are hard to deal with when the system must scale with the number of users, no guarantee for the quality of service once streams are delivered to the local operator’s network among others.

The same provides opportunities for users’ experiences in watching TV and can be achieved by integrating IPTV and multimedia communication services, such as voice and video telephony. This presents user groups like friends or family members to share their emotions while they are watching a TV program. The integrated solutions enable end users to use even complex functions like group communication (conferencing) with ease. This stimulates the service usage and allows new technology usage forms to evolve, potentially opening new business opportunities.

As telecoms flat rates are widely adopted, there is no likelihood for them to experience a big revenue increase from integrated communication services directly, hence need for innovation and creativity for long-term business survival. Most Telecoms are embracing IPTV as a way to boost broadband adoption and generate new revenues. Moreover, the move to IPTV is also dictated by the need to compete with the triple play offering of cable operators. As more operators deploy IPTV services with new features such as catch-up TV and PVR, the factors for differentiation are dissolving rapidly.

I believe that further differentiation is possible by focusing on the integration with communication services in order to create new viewing experiences. The focus here is on the greater benefits, which will come from the social connectivity. This scenario focuses on stimulating cross-service transactions through enhanced IPTV commercial advertisements while maintaining user privacy. With this technology, many people are enabled to many new services delivered over the open Internet. With this technology, content providers are capable of targeting end users directly.

Where do we go from here? The quality of experience is the ultimate game changer in this competitive environment. The user expectations are much higher for a TV-based service than for Internet services, such as internet browsing. The strategy for any video content provider must now include multi-screen delivery. Users are now demanding access from all their devices and there is growing momentum behind companion screen applications that add value to existing services through increased levels of interactivity.

Players in the sector have to be alert and ready to innovate and adapt to new trends which include but not limited to development of new software’s, enhanced companion screen activities and enable new revenue generating applications and use of secondary devices. The y must also consider cost control, user experience across devices among others.

For the content creators’, the future is bright, however be ready to change with the ever changing operational environment.

The writer is a Chartered Marketer, and film industry professional and can be reached at timothy.owase@live.com